Getting shorter
by minnieblossom
Summary: Karin was always a tad bit shorter. And then that idiot had to have his belated growth spurt. Oh how Toshiro enjoyed making fun of her. But maybe being shorter wasn't such a bad thing. A Hitsukarin oneshot, R&R!


DISCLAIMER: NONE OF THE CHARACTERS ARE MINE

Toshiro x Karin

Hey... i haven't been on in like... a year... sorry... here is a really rushed really bad one shot

Enjoy and R&R

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Histugaya was always a tiny bit taller, and it irked the young shinigami. And then he had to go and have his very VERY late growth spurt that decided to show up after centuries. A vein popped as he smirked down at her again. Ugh. He just had to rub it in. Karin stood as tall as she could her back as straight as her zanpaktou. To no avail. She stood at barely 5'6 and he towered over her at 5'11. Five. Five friggen inches taller than her. When they first meet, when Karin was in elementary school blissfully kicking around soccer balls, preferably NOT at hollows he and her where the same height more or less. Maybe she was a bit taller than him even. She could reach out and pat his head comfortably. But every single time he came back to visit her, like before the winter war or whenever he had missions and small breaks in between, he would always stay around her height even with her own growth spurt. And then about a year before her death he was towering over her the ever present smirk, if possible, cockier. "Great," Karin growled "shorty isn't so short anymore." He just gave her a tired yawn but of course he was enjoying her distress.

The day she died he loomed over her worry evident on his face. Rage swelling in his stormy emerald orbs. He turned around with Hyourinmaru fully extended his white captain's robe fluttering in his blue reiatsu. Just like when he first saved her. But this time he didn't stop at shikai he went full out, captain limitation or not. The hallows, or monsters as she still called them, were annihilated within seconds of flashing furry. Then he stood still and looked down at her pierced form. "Karin...You're too young. It's all my fault." he whispered cradling her head in his lap. "Nah. I knew this was how I was going to go Shiro." He didn't scold her this time instead his eyes were glued to her chest. Karin noticed his intense gaze and blushed covering herself. "Oiy... what do you think you're..." she felt it even as she spoke and registered why he was as still as stone. She didn't even have to look down but she did anyways. The cold metal chain that she dreaded seeing on the souls around her was now firmly locked into her own chest. It wasn't heavy, it wasn't cold. It just felt like it was suffocating her, a little too snug. Toshiro immediately opened a sekai gate. "The mission!" Karin warned but Toshiro refused to listen. "I'm taking you back NOW. I won't let you lose your memories." he gripped her hand tighter as if afraid she would dissapear and be gone or shatter right in front of him. He couldn't let that happen. That wouldn't happen. Not when he was standing right here. "But what about my body? And my family?" She felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked behind her to see her brother. He was seething he was furious. "Toshiro take her. We'll talk later." He cradled his precious sister's cold lifeless body against his chest even when the blood was seeping onto his cloths and slowly staining his chest. "Ichi-nii?" she asked and she saw it in his eyes when he looked up at her gazing at her face. Translucent. Just like her voice thin and almost a whisper in the wind. "The day i became a shinigami was so i could save you from a hollow. I strayed from my original intentions. I failed so miserably." A link in her chain cracked in half leaving her with only about 15 or so left intact. Ichigo's eyes widened as he literally shoved her into Toshiro's waiting chest. "GO! NOW!" Toshiro didn't need another command because he more or less dragged Karin to the other side. "Here. This is Soul Society." he said grimly and Karin smiled, much to his surprise. "So it is." she answered, "So this is Soul Society."

That was many years ago and now she worked as 6th squad's 3rd seat under Byakuya. Believe it or not she was very close with her captain and noble because of a simple game he enjoyed called Go. Who knew the soccer loving athlete would be sitting in a garden with falling sakura leaves using her brain to form lines of defense and attack? Toshiro didn't expect it at the least. Despite her busy work and duty as a seated officer she always found time to visit Toshiro. He found it amusing even though usually he tried to brush her off coolly by saying he was stacked with paper work, which was most of the time true, however she ALWAYS stayed at least an hour. On days she didn't come he found his work to be done faster but with less enjoyment. And once she had gone for an entire month out in the real world and Matsumoto had to sit her tense captain down and personally do some paper work. Wow. Just WOW. The miracles Karin could cast.

But it was one day when he just HAD to see her that he actually had the URGE the unnameable URGE to see her. He didn't know why. Oh kami sama help his hormones or the weather but he just had to see her after weeks of missing her. So he slid the squeaky doors to her study and sure enough found her busy busy busy. She looked up and dropped her pen, with her jaw when she saw her white haired prince (wait what?!) standing at the doorway. Oh how she missed him. She closed her jaw tightly and figured he was here for some urgent business. But he hadn't said a word. Maybe she should say something first, it was only respectful. "Histugaya Tachio." she bowed respectfully but he just rolled his eyes. "It's Toshiro..." Karin beamed and Toshiro couldn't help but to smile. "How are you? Did the mission go well?" he asked and she nodded. "Yeah i was fine. Did ya miss me Shiro?" she asked knowing he was just going to smirk and swat the question aside, surprisingly though he didn't react in any way. "ahh well...' she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Not even a smirk? "I missed you." she grinned but blushed yelling at herself internally for being so stupid. "Yeah. I missed you to." Toshiro admitted. Karin didn't know what to feel. Happy? No. That was an understatement. She was about to burst from overjoyment and giddiness. But she knew that he just missed a friend, an annoying nakama that came to his office to chit chat every other day. Nothing more. "You know," he stated not meeting her eyes. "Humm?" She asked. "I think you've gotten shorter in the time I haven't seen you." Karin didn't know if he was joking or trying to pull a string but she narrowed her eyes. "Toshiro it's only been like a month... And besides people don't SHRINK!" She waved her arms wildly an action that usually got her scolded by the prime and proper captain of the 10 squad. But instead he just looked away with a slight rosy tint on his smooth cheeks. Kawaii. He desperately controlled his thoughts to wrap her in his arms and have a tickle fight with her, just like when he and Hinamori were very little. He had a feeling Karin would be different. He had a feeling she would be fierce and wouldn't let him win and he would have to be persistent in order to find her weak spot. Karin's hands snapping in front of his nose got his attention back on her. She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at him. "I asked a question mister!" Oops. He had ignored Karin. And Karin HATED being ignored. Especially by him. "What?" He asked and she sighed rolling her eyes. "What made the ice cold cocky blizzard blooded Captain miss me?" She asked. Ouch. Cold blooded maybe. But BLIZZARD BLOODED? He cleared his throat. "Do I have to have a reason to miss you shorty?" He asked although he knew the reason was quiet obvious and Hyourinmaru was rolling with laughter in his soul. Toshiro grumbled but the ice dragon howled in glee at his master's flustered insides. "Yes. Like did ya miss me talking non stop around your quiet office or my bentos or my soccer match summaries or..." Jesus. Still rambling. He noticed her slight blush and wondered if it was hot in here. With him in the room? Never he literally radiated cool temperatures. Maybe she was rambling because she was flustered. Quiet the opposite from him, he tended to clamp his mouth shut so he wouldn't say anything stupid. Like her, "or did you have feelings for me and..." She stopped midway through and clamped her lips tightly into a thin line. He lifted his eyebrow at her questioningly. "What did you say?" He asked his ever present smirk finding it's way onto his face again. "Nothing." She squeaked backing up until she bumped into her desk. "Hummm..." He hummed amused by her red cheeks and fidgety eyes. He crossed his arms and walked towards her standing directly in front of her, his chest smack in the middle of her view. "Feelings...for you? Humm..." He knew he was being a horrible tease. Karin gulped. "It was just... An idea." She sputtered. He chuckled and her eyes widened. Wow. Hadn't heard that in a while, and it was refreshing. Like hearing a frozen stream finally running. "Perhaps. Shorty." He pinched her cheek. "Okay what's with the knew nickname and WHY did you miss me then?" Karin asked clearly annoyed. Toshiro sighed and nodded. He just had to tell her. His chest would probably pound out of his chest if he didn't. Oh kami sama help him. "It's because i've noticed while you were gone that i took you for granted Karin. I just expected you to walk in when it was lunch time, eat, talk then leave to repeat it. But that wasn't it. I looked forward to waiting for you. And it just... I just... Really missed you. I guess you grew on me, as they say in the human world." He replied letting a long breath out. She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I missed you too. The only thing that fueled me to fight off those monsters was seeing you smile at me." She answered. "Smile down at you." Toshiro replied. Karin pouted. "No. And you said i was growing on you, doesn't that mean you should stop calling me short?" She reasoned. "I guess so." He mushed but shook his head pulling her off the desk and holding her against his chest. She smelled like cherry blossoms and vanilla and lavender and all the sweet natural goodness. "See? You really did shrink." He replied. Karin smacked his chest lightly and refused to look up at him trying to play a mad friend. She listed to his heartbeat, calm and steady like a drum. "Before you were always in my head, but now you reach my heart." He whispered. And she finally got it. She gripped onto him tightly. Maybe always being shorter then him wasn't so bad. She DID fit perfectly into his arms, with his chin resting on her midnight black locks and her ear pressed against his heartbeat

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sorry this was so rushed... MY WRITING IS SO RUSTY... MY FAILED ATTEMPT AT FLUFF.


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